Why did Shawn Michaels oversell for Hulk Hogan in their SummerSlam match?
Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan are two of the most respected names in professional wrestling. There was a time when both these legends worked together in WWE and had a rivalry against each other.
At WWE SummerSlam 2005, Michaels and Hogan faced each other in a non-title match, and fans witnessed something very unexpected. HBK oversold the majority of moves, making it look hilarious. Fans wondered what was the reason behind that.
So why did Shawn Michaels oversell Hulk Hogan in a SummerSlam match?
The match took place in 2005, when Hogan was far from his peak as an in-ring competitor. According to the initial plan, both stars were set to have at least two matches against each other. It was decided that the Hulkster would win the first one, and Michaels would emerge victorious in the second confrontation.
However, Hogan told WWE that he is not fit and won't wrestle any more matches against HBK. The Show Stopper was upset about it and couldn't change the result of the match at SummerSlam. Instead, he oversold every move he received from his opponent.
ON THIS DAY: It was #ICONvsLEGEND at @SummerSlam 2005 as @ShawnMichaels battled @HulkHogan! wwe.me/Azlu2 http://t.co/KMot4DLO6X
What happened at SummerSlam 2005 might have been surprising for the fans in attendance, but Shawn Michaels made sure they were entertained that night. One way or the other, the match was seemingly well received by the audience.
What was the backstage reaction to Shawn Michaels overselling Hulk Hogan?
.@ShawnMichaels and @HulkHogan squared off for the first time ever on this day in 2005! #SummerSlam watch.wwe.com/episode/Summer… https://t.co/Pr9CsGXpT5
In an episode of Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard, former WWE executive Bruce Pichard revealed the backstage reaction to the incident. He explained how everyone was entertained, all thanks to Michaels.
The match was highly entertaining because of Shawn overselling shit and going f***ing nuts and almost doing a parody of a Hulk match from 20 years ago. So to that, the entertainment value of it, it was incredibly entertaining. That may have been Shawn’s nod to say ‘Hey, I’m gonna go out here and I’m gonna do this and I’m gonna make you remember it because of my antics.’ Could it have been different? Absolutely it could have been different. Was it the best thing? I don’t know if it was or not. I think when Shawn first started overselling things, the reaction was one of ‘What the f*** is he doing’ and then the more he did it, the more you saw the story Shawn was telling.” said Prichard.
Michaels later commented about the match in a Q&A session. He said that no matter what happened that night, it was an honor for him to work with an icon such as Hogan. HBK went on to say that Hulk Hogan will always remain the biggest name in pro-wrestling history.
Thanks to Wrestling-Edge for the transcription of the podcast!
What are your thoughts about this match? Let us know in the comments section!